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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Global Connections

GERMANY HAS become the land of opportunity for many of the best young American soccer players. The latest episode of Exploring Planet Fútbol on SI TV takes you on a road trip around Deutschland, as SPORTS ILLUSTRATED senior writer Grant Wahl visits four players fast on their way to becoming the backbone of the U.S. men's national team: 20-year-old midfielders Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Weston McKennie (Schalke 04) and Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), and 19-year-old defender Chris Richards (Bayern Munich II). Each shares his experiences of playing and living in Germany; USMNT fans will not be disappointed.

Half travel show and half soccer show, Exploring Planet Fútbol uses the world's most popular sport to examine the culture of a country. In an episode on Japan, which will debut in late May, Wahl spends time with Kumi Yokoyama, a forward on the Japanese national team, as she prepares for the Women's World Cup this summer. He also interviews Tom Byer, an American whose youth development work has influenced the Japanese men's and women's teams. No sport is as global as soccer, and Exploring Planet Fútbol goes the distance in exploring the game's reach and influence.

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